QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7md

Earthquake near Yosemite Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Yosemite Valley in the 24 hours to 12:00 pm PST (20:00 UTC). The last one was M 2.5, 22 km (14 mi) SE, at 7:51 am PDT on 28 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Yosemite Valley

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) east-southeast of Yosemite Valley, CA, at 8:01 pm PDT on 29 September 2021 (03:01 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 11km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA

8:01 pm PDT, Sep 29, 2021 · · -0.4 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mariposa County 42 kmTuolumne County 56 kmMono County 56 kmMadera County 61 kmAlpine County 105 kmFresno County 107 kmCalaveras County 110 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
8:01 pm PDT on 29 September 2021 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) east-southeast of Yosemite Valley, CA · earthquakes near Yosemite Valley
Magnitude
M 1.7 (md)
Depth
-0.4 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Mariposa County, 42 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1870 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Yosemite Valley, 11 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Yosemite Valley 11 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 11 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 970,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 86× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.0 7 km ENE of Mammoth Lakes, California · 50 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 8 km NNE of Mammoth Lakes, California · 47 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 3 km NE of Mono City, California · 49 km NE of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 3 km SE of Mammoth Lakes, California · 47 km E of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 37.7115, -119.4627. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mariposa County, CA 42 km (26 mi) WSW earthquakes near Mariposa County
Tuolumne County, CA 56 km (35 mi) NW earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Mono County, CA 56 km (35 mi) ENE earthquakes near Mono County
Madera County, CA 61 km (38 mi) SSW earthquakes near Madera County
Alpine County, CA 105 km (65 mi) NNW earthquakes near Alpine County
Fresno County, CA 107 km (67 mi) S earthquakes near Fresno County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

27 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.6 16km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  2. 1.6 16km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  3. 2.1 16km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  4. 2.1 16km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  5. 1.7 20km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  6. 1.8 21km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  7. 1.7 19km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  8. 1.6 19km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  9. 1.5 19km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  10. 1.8 17km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  11. 1.8 19km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  12. 2.1 19km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  13. 1.8 20km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  14. 1.8 29km NE of Oakhurst, CA
  15. 1.6 17km WSW of Mammoth Lakes, CA

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.